{"id":35260,"date":"2023-02-09T17:02:59","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T16:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/?p=35260"},"modified":"2026-11-03T17:29:54","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T16:29:54","slug":"exercise-fuelling-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/exercise-fuelling-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuelling during exercise: the basics for athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During-exercise fuelling<\/b>: a familiar sporting term, but what does it mean?<\/span><\/p>\n

Like <\/span>sports performance<\/b> support through <\/span>pre-workout<\/b> and <\/span>post-workout nutrition<\/b><\/a>, it is essential to your <\/span>athlete’s diet<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is how it works.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Is During-Exercise Fuelling?<\/span><\/h2>\n

An <\/span>aid station<\/b> provides <\/span>food, water or isotonic drinks<\/b> along a route. We also use <\/span>fuelling<\/b> to describe the <\/span>food and fluids<\/b> carried and consumed during <\/span>training or competition<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why Does Fuelling Matter?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Both <\/span>nutrition<\/b> and <\/span>hydration<\/b> limit performance. If they fail, <\/span>performance<\/b> falls.<\/span><\/p>\n

During <\/span>exercise<\/b>, <\/span>water and salt losses <\/b>initially impair <\/span>performance<\/b> and may eventually become dangerous if not addressed. <\/span><\/p>\n

The activity <\/span>exercise<\/b> also causes <\/span>depletion<\/b> of <\/span>stores of <\/b>glycogen<\/b><\/a> in <\/span>muscle<\/b> and <\/span>liver<\/b>. As these empty, rapid <\/span>energy availability<\/b> and <\/span>performance<\/b> decline.<\/span><\/p>\n

During <\/span>prolonged activity<\/b>, maintain <\/span>fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrate fuel.<\/b> This is where <\/span>during-exercise fuelling<\/b> comes in!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"cyclists<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Should Fuelling Provide?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The priority is <\/span>hydration<\/b><\/a>, often the first limiting factor, particularly in <\/span>hot <\/b>or <\/span>humid conditions<\/b>. Replace <\/span>electrolytes<\/b> lost in sweat, mainly sodium. Other minerals such as <\/span>chloride<\/b>, <\/span>potassium<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>magnesium<\/b><\/a> also matter during <\/span>prolonged sessions<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Include <\/span>carbohydrates<\/b> from <\/span>gels, bars and sports drinks<\/b> or foods such as<\/span> sugar-rich fruit<\/b>, including <\/span>bananas<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>dried fruit<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"sports<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuelling While Running<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For <\/span>runners<\/span><\/i>, the ideal <\/span>fuel<\/b> often looks like this.<\/span><\/p>\n

When <\/span>running<\/b>, prioritise <\/span>liquid and semi-liquid formats<\/b> because <\/span>chewing<\/b> is difficult. A <\/span>sports drink<\/b> with adequate <\/span>carbohydrates and electrolytes<\/b> can sustain hours of activity. Adding <\/span>gels<\/b> extends the options.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"athlete<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuelling While Cycling<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During <\/span>cycling<\/b>,<\/span> solid foods<\/b> can fit, although poor <\/span>hydration<\/b> makes chewing difficult because it requires <\/span>saliva<\/b>. Inadequate <\/span>hydration<\/b> may make even a bar difficult to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a <\/span>bike<\/b>, two larger <\/span>bottles<\/b> are practical compared with <\/span>running<\/b>. Carry one <\/span>sports drink<\/b> with <\/span>energy<\/b> from <\/span>carbohydrates<\/b> and <\/span>electrolytes<\/b> for <\/span>hydration<\/b>, and another with <\/span>water <\/b>to replenish losses and rinse the mouth. Constant <\/span>sweetness<\/b> can be <\/span>mentally tiring<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"cyclists<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuelling in the Gym<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>training type and duration<\/b> and <\/span>environment<\/b> determine whether <\/span>water or water with electrolytes<\/b> suffices, or whether<\/span> carbohydrates <\/b>should create a <\/span>complete isotonic drink<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>weights room <\/b>doing sets of 3 repetitions with 2-minute rests, <\/span>water<\/b> usually suffices unless very hot.<\/span><\/p>\n

With <\/span>longer sets<\/b>, <\/span>shorter rests<\/b> or <\/span>supersets<\/b> and sweating, the <\/span>fuelling strategy<\/b> changes. For longer sessions, <\/span>electrolytes<\/b> may support <\/span>hydration<\/b>, <\/span>injury prevention<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>recovery<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Combining <\/span>weights<\/b> and <\/span>HIIT<\/b> over a long session may justify some <\/span>carbohydrate<\/b> in the <\/span>sports drink<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"gym<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To Sum Up\u2026<\/span><\/h2>\n

Choosing <\/span>fuel<\/b> for your <\/span>athletic needs<\/b> and goals is not always easy.<\/span><\/p>\n

For optimal <\/span>sports performance<\/b>, our <\/span>sports nutritionists<\/b><\/a>, also athletes who train and compete, can create a <\/span>100% personalised fuelling plan<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We look forward to helping!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How should you fuel during exercise? We explore how this varies with your sport and session or competition duration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":17908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35260"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35825,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35260\/revisions\/35825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}